Gas valve



De- 25, 1956 E. J. MoRRlsEY, JR.. ET AL 2,775,240

GAS VALVE Filed Feb. 9, 1955 6 sed. www. C ,rfb e nohm AEMD/m o may@ Jdwmlm. da. W

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United States Patent O GAS VALVE Edwardl. Morrisey, Jr., `audllowardA.Richards, Waukegan Township, Lake County, Ill., assignors to Abbottboratories, North Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Application February9, 1953, Serial No. 335,746 1 12 Claims. (Cl: 1285-214) The presentinvention relates generally to a gas valve for use inA control in thepassage of gas into a fluid container andmore particularly to animprovedair check valve for use in venoclysis equipment;

Generally venoclysis equipment consists of a iuid container holding asubstantially greater amount than an ordinary hypodermic syringe, anoutlet for the container attached to a length of flexible tubing havinga hypodermic cannula on the end thereof, and an air inlet for thecontainer. The devices of the prior art for controlling the inflow1 ofair and other uids into the venoclysis containers have been various andsundry. Included in the prio'rart devices are internal'air bleeds suchas a stand-pipe projecting into the container andprojecting above thelevel of lluid therein when in an inverted position, ball check valvesecured tothe container closure, and bulky external liquidair filters. e

The air valves or air.` bleeds of the` prior art are relativelyexpensive or cumbersome and.` are not suitable for use disposablevenoclysis equipment.`

It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide animproved air valve which can be manufactured very economically.

It is another object ofthe present invention to provide an air valvewhichis extremely simple in construction.

It is still another object of the invention to provide an air valvewhich employs no moving lparts and thereby eliminatesthe danger ofmechanical failures. l

It is still another object of the invention to provide an improvedclosure for venoclysis containers.

Other objects of the invention will be evident from the detaileddescription and claims to follow.

Referring to the drawing: e

Figure l is,` a fragmentaryvertical sectional view of a closure `cap onavenoclysis bottleshowingone embodiment ofthe improved air valveof thepresent invention and a drip tube connected therewith. e

Figure 2 is a bottom plan View of theclosure cap shown in Figure l` withthe drip tube removed.`

Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of a modified closurecap and air valve.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of a still furthermodified form of closure cap and air valve.

Figure 5 is avertical sectionalview of an air valve suitable for usewith venoclysis `containers having penetrable closures without a passageextending therethrough.

Referring specifically to the drawing the improved apparatus hereinillustrated is shown employed in connection with a glass or othersuitable `bottle represented by numeral 11, being suspended in invertedposition so that its neck 12 projects downwardly. The neck 12 isprovided with suitable external screw threads 13. A cap 14 preferablyformed of hard rubber or plastic material or other, suitable material isprovided with internal screw threads so as to` fit the external threadson the neck of thebottle.- j

The end wall` 15 of the cap 14 is provided with a central 12,775,240Patented Dec. 25, `1956 opening 16 and a relatively soft rubber member17 associated with the rigidcap member 14. The resilient rubber member17 comprises a main disk portion 18 of such.

size that a preferable portion of the disk is adapted to overlap aportion of the cap end 15 so that suchpreferable i portion is` disposedbetween the lip 19 ofthe bottle and the end wall 15 of the rigid capmember. The disk 18v therefore serves as a gasket to assure a fluidtight seal between the cap 14 and the bottle 11. The resilient member 17t is anchored to the cap by being provided with. a,

bottle 11. `Since in some instances the liquid which lis` administeredfrom the bottle 11 must be passed through a strainer before it entersthe tubing on its way to the injectingneedle, a strainer may be securedto the. inwardly projecting member 21 and extends inwardly into the uidwithin the container. And, as shown in Figure 1, it is often desirableto have a means for determining the rate of out-flow of fluid from thebottle 11` and this is facilitated by having a` sight glass or drip tubesecured to.

the outwardly projecting member 23 of the closure. The resiliency of theprojecting member 2.3 permits an air tight seal betweenthe'drip tube 40andthe projection 23 of the closure member. secured to` the lower end ofthe drip tube 40 and a ilow control device 42 isV positionedtransversely of the tube between the drip tube 40 and the hypodermicneedle adapter 43; If desired the drip tube can be provided with astrainer element.

i Alongside the downwardly projectingportion 22 there isv also providedanother but smaller downwardly extending-,projection 25which isgenerally cylindrical in form and isprovided with an opening 27therethrough. A iitting26xis removably secured to the smaller projection25 and consists of a` means for controlling the entrance of air or otherliuids into the bottle 11.

The `fitting 26 is comprised generally of cylindricaly sidewalls ofstainless steel, aluminum, plastic, glass, or the like and at its innerend is flared slightly outwardly as at 28 to facilitate securing thefitting 26 to the smaller projection 25 of the closure member. The outerend of the titting 26 is iiared slightly inwardly to provide arestricted opening 29 which serves as an air passage and provide aretaining means for liberous material as will be `more specificallydescribed hereinafter. Within the interior of` the `fitting 26 isdisposeda wad of water repellent fiberous material 30, `such as glasswool or iiber glass which has been treated with a silicone composition,which serves to prevent the flow of liquid outwardly therethrough butpermits the passage of air or other gases therethrough.

ln some instances itis desirable to eliminate the driptube 4d and thefitting `26 withA the projection 25 of the resilient member 17, as shownin Figure 3 of the drawing. The passage 27 of resilient member 17 isprovided with an enlarged portion which forms a small container-likepocket 31 on the inner surface of the resilient member t7. waterrepellent brous material 3i) which serves as a` means for controllingthe passage of air into the bottle 1'1..

It is also desirable `in some instances, as illustrated` in Figure 4 ofthe drawing, to provide a small plastic or- A length offlexible tubing,41 is in the pocket 31 is inserted a compact mass of metallic container32 for holding a compact mass of fibrous water repellent material 30,such as glass fibers which have been treated with a siliconecomposition. The container 32 is readily inserted intothe resilientmember 17 and is held securely therein. rlfhe further embodiment of thepresent invention showing a modified form of air valve in Figurecomprises a cylindrical main tube 33 having a constricted portion 34intermediate the ends thereof and outwardly flaring side walls 35extending rearwardly therefrom. A tubular member 36 having a bore 37therethrough is inserted into the end of the cylindrical member 33opposite the flared walls and the end of which abuts the restricted area34 of the cylindrical body 33. A closure piercing cannula 38 is securedto the member 36 and extends outwardly therefrom. In the body of themain cylindrical member opposite the needle containing a section 35, acompact mass of water repellent berous material, such as fiber glasshaving the surface thereoftreated with a silicone composition, is placedbetween the flared walls 35 of. the cylindrical tube 33 and serves toprevent the out-flow of liquids from the bottle 11 but permits the entryof air.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the water repellentfiberous material employed is glass fiber which hasl been treated with asilicone composition to render the fibers strongly water repellent. Theglass fibers cornmonly designated as fiber glass were used and are comprised of very fine filaments of glass having an individual fiberdiameter of between about .00010 and .00014 inch. The fiber glass asemployed are in the form of bundles of fibers, said bundles having `adiameter from one quarter to one half inch and having a weight of from 1to 5 grams per yard. The fiber bundles are in the form of continuouslength wound on a suitable spindle or the like.

A method of treatingthe glass fibers with silicone which has been foundsuitable for rendering the fibers strongly water repellent comprisesdipping 6 inch lengths of the glass fiber in a 5% solution ofmethyldiethoxysilane dis- The glass fiber thus treated has animperceptibly thin coating of silicone on the surface thereof whichrenders the fibers strongly water repellent.

Other silicone compositions can be used to treat the glass fiber,including emulsions or solvent solutions of the polyorganosiloxanes,such as polydimethylsiloxane U and the fibers thus treated are processedin the same manner as when treated with a solution of themethyldiethoxysilane, except that a curing temperature of between about230 C. and 300 C. is employed. If desired, the fibers can also betreated with chlorosilane vapor and cured in the usual manner. It shouldthus be evident that any suitable silicone composition which can beconveniently handled and applied to the surface of the fibers can beemployed in the present invention and therefore this Vinvention is notlimited to the use of any particular composition for rendering thefibers strongly water repellent. The concentration of the siliconesolutions employed may be varied widely and satisfactory results areobtained when employing solutions having between about l and siliconecomposition. If desired, two or more of the known silicone compositionsmay be combined in order to render a particular fiber strongly waterrepellent.

The present invention employs as its preferred embodiment glass fibers;and particularly those having a diameter of between about .00010 and.00014 inch in diameter, be-

cause of their very soft texture, the ease with which they can bemanipulated, and their very great surface area per unit weight. Glassfibers having a substantially larger diameter, such as glass woolfibers, have also been successfully employed in the present inventionafter having the surface thereof rendered water repellent by treatingwith the silicone compositions as described herein. Glass fibers ingeneral are particularly'suitable for use in the present invention wherea silicone treatment is employedto render the berous material waterrepellent because of the similarity in chemical composition of thesilicones and the glass fibers. The silicon dioxide of the siliconesappears to form a particularly coherent bond with the silica of theglass'fibers.

It should be understood, however, that fiberous material other thanglass fibers can also be employed in the present invention. For example,cotton fibers treated with the 5% solution of methyldiethoxysilane havebeen used in place of the silicone treated fiber glass in an air filterwith satisfactory results. Other fibers, such as silk fibers, rayonfibers, nylon fibers, and other animal, vegetable, mineral or syntheticfibers which have the surface thereof treated with' silicone or othercompositions to impart thereto the desired water repellent properties,or synthetic fibers such as Vinyon, a vinylchloride-vinylacetatecopolymer, or Dynel, a vinylchloride-acrylonitrile copolymer whichinherently have strong water repellent properties can also be employedin the present invention.

In operation, when the glass bottle 11 shown in Figure l is filled withan intravenous aqueous solution and inverted so that the neck thereof isin a downwardly ex tending position, the aqueous solution passesdownwardly through openings 24 and 27 in the resilient member 17. Theflow control means 42 is adjusted to prevent the escape of liquidthrough the flexible tube 41. The aqueous solution which passesdownwardly through passage 27 into fitting 26 comes into contact withthe water repellent fiberous material 30. The surface .characteristicsof the berous material 30 are such that the water contacting theindividual fibers is strongly repelled. Sufficient upward pressure iscreated within the fiberous mass to counteract the downward pressure ofthe water on the fiberous mass and prevents the out-flow of aqueoussolution through the fitting 26. As the aqueous solution is withdrawnfrom the bottle 11 through the flexible tubing 41 and the pressurewithin the bottle is reduced below atmospheric pressure, the air passesupwardly through the fibers 30 in fitting 26 and enters the bottle 11until the pressure within the bottle 11 is approximately the same as theatmospheric pressure. In the foregoing manner, air is allowed to bleedinto the bottle as required without permitting the fluid to escapethrough the fitting 26.

It will be evident that the mass of fibers 30 serves also as an air'lterso as to prevent dust particles or the like entering the interior of thebottle or contaminating the aqueous solution. It has also been foundthat the fiberous mass serves as a bacterial filter in the same manneras does a wad of cotton which is commonly used in the air bleeds incommon use. Since the fibers of the present invention are notappreciably wetted by the liquid in contact therewith, they areimmediately effective as a gas valve, do not change in volume when inuse, and remain effective as a gas valve for practically an indefinitelylong period.

The gas valve of the present invention as illustrated herein has beensuccessfully employed with venoclysis solutions and other chemicalsolutions. For example, the herein disclosed silicone treated glassfibers have been used with excellent results as an air valve in contactwith water, distilled water, aqueous isotonic sodium chloride solutions,aqueous sodium carbonate solutions (pH approximately l0), aqueousalcohol solutions; acidic solutions, such as aqueous citric acidsolutions; and nonaqueous pol-ar solvent solutions, such as propyleneglycol and ethylene glycol. It will thus be evident that the term iwater repellent as used in the specification and claims is intended toinclude aqueous solutions in general as well as water per se. Moreover,it should be apparent that the invention is not confined to use withaqueous solutions but is equally applicable to non-aqueous solutions, ineach instance the fibers of the mass of berous material employed havinginherent liquid repellent properties or being coated with a liquidrepellent composition which provides `a surface coating repellent to theparticular liquid to be placed in contact therewith.

While the present invention has been shown embodied only in venocylsisequipment, the invention herein disclosed can Ialso be used as an air orgas valve in other apparatus where it is necessary or desirable toprevent the out-flow of liquid and permit the free passage of air orother gas. A compressed disk or wad of fibers of the type hereindisclosed or mixtures thereof can be used as an air or gas valvewherever it is desired to have a valve through which air or gas can passin either direction while preventing the passage of `a liquidtherethrough.

Others may readily adapt the invention for use under various conditionsof service by employing one or more of the novel features disclosed orequivalents thereof. As -at present advised with respect to the apparentscope of our invention, we desire to claim the following subject matter.

We claim:

l. A gas pervious liquid barrier comprising a body member having apassage therethrough adapted to he used in combination with a venoclysisfluid container, and a compact mass of fiberous material having thesurface of the fibers of said mass repellent to the liquid placed incontact therewith disposed transversely of said passage intermediate theends thereof, said mass being impervious to the liquid placed in contacttherewith `and pervious to gases.

2. A gas pervious liquid barrier comprising a body member having apassage therethrough adapted to be used in combination with a venoclysisuid container, and a compact mass of fiberous material having thesurface of the fibers thereof coated with a liquid repellent compositiondisposed transversely of said passage intermediate the ends thereof, thesaid mass being impervious to the liquid in contact therewith.

3. A gas pervious liquid barrier comprising a body memberhaving apassage therethrough adapted to be used in combination with a venoclysisuid container, and a compact mass of iiberous material having thesurface of the fibers thereof coated with a silicone compositiondisposed transversely of said passage intermediate the ends thereof, thesaid mass being impervious `to aqueous solutions.

4. A gas pervious liquid barrier comprising a body member having apassage therethrough adapted to be used in combination with a venoclysisfluid container, and a compact mass of glass fibers having the surfaceof the said fibers coated with a liquid repellent composition disposedtransversely of said passage intermediate the ends thereof, said massbeing impervious to liquids in contact therewith.

5. A gas pervious liquid barrier comprising a body i member having apassage therethrough adapted to be used in combination with a venoclysisuid container, and

a compact mass of glass fibers having the surface thereof coated with asilicone composition disposed transversely of said passage intermediatethe ends thereof, said mass being impervious to aqueous solutions incontact therewith.

6. A gas pervious liquid barrier comprising a body member having apassage therethrough adapted to be used in combination with a venoclysisfluid container, and a compact mass of cotton fibers having the surfaceof the said fibers coated with a liquid repellent composition disposedtransversely of said passage intermediate the ends thereof, said massbeing impervious to a liquid placed in contact therewith.

7. A gas pervious liquid barrier comprising a body member having apassage therethrough adapted to be used in combination with a venoclysisfluid container, and a compact mass of cotton fibers coated with asilicone composition disposed transversely of said passage intermediatethe ends thereof, said mass being impervious to water in Contacttherewith.

8. A gas pervious liquid barrier comprising a body member having apassage therethrough adapted to be used in combination with a venoclysisfluid container, and a compact mass of synthetic fibers having thesurface of the fibers strongly repellent to a. liquid in contacttherewith disposed transversely of said passage intermediate the endsthereof, said mass being impervious to liquids in contact therewith andpervious to gas.

9. A compact mass of liberous material substantially as in claim 8wherein the fibers are comprised of a vinylchloride vinylacetatecopolymer.

' 10. A compact mass of fberous material substantially asin claim 8wherein the fibers are comprised of a vinylchloride acrylonitrilecopolymer.

ll. An apparatus for intravenous administration of liquids comprising, abottle closure suitable for detachably securing to the said bottlehaving an air inlet and at least one fluid outlet passages therethrough,a support means for a valve means on said air inlet closure associatedwith said passage which prevents the out-flow of liquids from the bottlewhile permitting gases to enter therethrough when the pressure withinthe said bottle is less than atmospheric pressure, said valve meansmounted on said support means comprising a compact mass of iiberousmaterial having the surface of the fibers of said mass repellent to theliquid placed in contact therewith, thereby rendering the said massimpervious to said liquid and pervious to gases.

l2. An air inlet and filter means for use with venocylsis apparatuscomprising, a body member having a passage therethrough, a piercingcannula secured in said passage at one end of said body member andextending outwardly therefrom, and la compact mass of fiberous materialdisposed in the other end of said body member transversely of the saidpassage, said fberous material comprised of fibers having liquidrepellent surface characteristics rendering the said mass impervious tothe liquid placed in contact therewith and pervious to` gases.

References Cited in the fiile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,306,222 Patnode Dec. 22, 1942 2,452,644 Fields Nov. 2, 1948 2,581,331Ryan et al Ian. 1, 1952

